If
you've enjoyed the prior Commandos games, you won't
recognize this new one. But that's good news for those
who weren't crazy about the game in the first place.
by Cole Smith

April
13, 2006 - There's
no use mincing words. Commandos Strike Force is a
dumbed down version of the Commandos series. It's
more accessible, more forgiving and for the right
player it can be a whole lot of fun. The focus is
on variety and as a first-person shooter the game
delivers the good even if it feels a little generic
at times.

Events
take place during WWII where your Commando team is
sent behind enemy lines to help gain advantages for
the U.S and its allies through a series of missions
that include the requisite rescue, escort, recon and
just out-and-out indiscriminate killing. Your adventures
will take you to places such as France, Norway and
Russia but most of the time you won't even be paying
attention to the environments except when it's snowing
outside.

You
will be able to play as different characters with
distinct skills and characteristics. The three Commandos
include a spy, Green Beret and a sniper. The difference
may seem obvious just by the names but there are more
skills and attributes that set them apart, some that
don't even seem to make sense, but what the hell?
It's a video game after all and we have to accept
some flights of fancy to make things more interesting.
The Commandos series is trying something new with
this game and I'm giving the developers the benefit
of the doubt as they opt for a little less realism
that we may be accustomed to.

The
sniper has amazing stamina for cold weather. The spy
is trained in stealth but is far less resistant to
freezing weather and will eventually die if exposed
for too long. The Green Beret's specialty is handling
heavy weapons. He can wield dual pistols and even
rifles.

As
the spy you can don enemy costumes and infiltrate
the Nazi's headquarters. Soldiers and guards of higher
ranks will somehow be able to see through your disguise
and begin shooting at you immediately. Lower ranking
soldiers will always be fooled by your disguise. Those
of the same rank will also be able to see through
your disguise but it takes them a little longer to
react than the higher ranks. If you stand in front
of any soldier or guard too long they will eventually
sound the alarm regardless of what rank they are.

If
you happen to draw your weapon your cover will be
blown. Silent kills are best for not drawing attention
to your presence, but there always seems to be some
patrol in the vicinity. They are very sensitive to
noise, but you can use this to your advantage by attracting
or distracting their attention by simply throwing
a coin. You can then move in for a silent kill.

When the enemy starts firing at you it's in your best
interest to run and hide. If you manage to escape
detection and find a good hiding place they will eventually
give up the search. Just keep in mind that if you're
not completely hidden they can spot you. Leave any
part of your body poking out from behind a wall and
you're likely to get it shot off.

You
can attempt to take the enemy on one at a time but
you have to get down low and hope they are confused
by your sudden change in height. The AI isn't particularly
intelligent as you've probably already guessed. This
doesn't mean the game is a cakewalk, the enemy is
more like a booby trap or a deterrent more than anything.
It's completing your mission that is the ultimate
challenge. There are times when even the allied AI
will act retarded. In one mission you are escorting
rescued prisoners to safety but these idiots do just
about everything they can to get shot at. You'll run
out of med kits before you can save them all. It's
too bad you can't issue some simple orders to keep
them in line.

The
weapons have a very satisfying feel to them. They
are not only accurate but extremely deadly. It's great
to have instant feedback when an enemy takes a hit.
In the sniper missions the blood splatters as the
body is literally thrown backwards in very dramatic,
if not entirely unrealistic, fashion. The sniper missions
are few and far between but they are great. Weapons
can be exchanged with the other team members so that
you don't run out of ammo during a good run. However,
there are some sniper missions in which you can only
use your sniper rifle.

Some
missions can get incredibly intense. You will find
yourself flanked by enemy troops with tanks bearing
down on you and mortar fire exploding in all direction.
It takes everything you've got to plan out your method
of attack and then carry it out. Of course this isn't
a real-time strategy game so things change on the
fly and you have to be prepared to adapt. No two missions
are the same but they aren't so different from other
games that they will feel like anything special. The
balance of variety in the gameplay is designed to
keep the player wondering what's next.

Visually,
Strike Force is not a looker. Even the cutscenes display
some stiff animation with emotionless faces. The music
is good and the sound effects are very realistic.
It's a pleasant experience to bask in the screams
of the dying enemy. Overall, the production is somewhat
dated. There is an online multi-player mode but it's
just your standard frag fest and not really much of
an incentive. You will extract the majority of your
enjoyment from the single-player mode.

Features:

Commandos
goes first person shooter - taking you right into
the heart of the action.

Take
control of the three members of the 'Strike Force'
unit - Green Beret, Sniper and Spy - each with their
own play style.

Three
linked campaigns in France, Norway and Russia.
· Non-linear gameplay it's your choice how
you execute plans of attack with multiple routes
for completing missions.